Andrzej Zawada (born Maria Andrzej Zawada; 16 July 1928 – 21 August 2000) was a Polish mountaineer, expedition leader and pioneer of winter Himalayism. Zawada was an organiser and leader of numerous high-mountains expeditions. Author of movies and photographs from expeditions, co-author of Alpinist books. Honorary member of the British Alpine Club, French Groupe de Haute Montagne [fr] and American The Explorers Club.

Andrzej Zawada
Zawada during the Mount Everest winter expedition (1979/1980)
Personal information
Birth nameMaria Andrzej Zawada
Born16 July 1928
Olsztyn, Poland
Died21 August 2000
Warsaw, Poland
NationalityPolish
Family
ParentsFilip Rawicz Zawada

Grandson of Tomasz Rawicz-Zawada young participant of January Uprising in 1863. Son of Filip Rawicz Zawada, Polish legionnaire and consul.

Zawada studied physics and geophysics in Wrocław and Warsaw where he received a degree in seismology. From 1955–1993, he worked at the Institute of Geophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Selected expeditions

edit
  • In 1959, he was part of the expedition team with Kazimierz Olech who made the first successful winter crossing of the main ridge of Tatra Mountains, which took 19 days.
  • In 1971, as chief he led the Polish expedition to make the first ascent to the Khunyang Chhish (7,852 m, 25,761 ft) in the Karakoram. He also reached the summit.[1]
  • With Tadeusz Piotrowski he made the first winter ascent of Noshaq (7,492 m, 24,580 ft) in the Hindu Kush (13 February 1973). It was the world's first winter climb above 7,000 metres (23,000 ft).
  • On 25 December 1974, Zawada became the first man in the world to exceed a height of 8,000 metres (26,000 ft) in the winter, alongside Zygmunt Andrzej Heinrich, by reaching a height of 8,250 metres (27,070 ft) on Lhotse.[2]
  • In 1977, Zawada made the first crossing of the 1,600-metre (5,200 ft) north wall of Koh-i Mandaras (6,631 m, 21,755 ft).
  • In February 1980, Krzysztof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy made the first winter ascent of Mount Everest (8,848 m, 29,029 ft), the highest mountain on Earth. Zawada led the expedition. It was the first winter ascent of a peak above 8,000 m.[3][4]
  • In May 1980, Zawada led an expedition of Everest with Andrzej Czok and Jerzy Kukuczka and ascended a new route.[5][4][6]
  • In February 1985 Maciej Berbeka and Maciej Pawlikowski made the first winter ascent of Cho Oyu. It is the only winter ascent on an eight-thousander using a new route. Zawada led the expedition.[7]
  • On December 31, 1988 Zawada led the expedition where Krzysztof Wielicki made the first successful winter ascent of Lhotse.[8]

Books

edit
  • Marcinek, Kazimierz; Zawada, Andrzej (1973). Ostatni atak na Kunyang Chhish (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Sport i Turystyka. OCLC 7233551.

References

edit
  1. ^ Kus, Andrzej (1971). "Khinyang Chhish climbed". Himalayan Journal. #31: 283–289. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  2. ^ Zawada, Andrzej (1977). "Winter at 8250 m: Polish Expedition to Lhotse 1974" (PDF). Alpine Journal. #82 (326): 28–35. ISBN 978-0900523212. ISSN 0065-6569. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  3. ^ Zawada, Andrzej (1984). "Mount Everest – The First Winter Ascent" (PDF). Alpine Journal. #89 (333): 50–58. ISBN 978-0900523496. ISSN 0065-6569. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b Brniak, Marek; Nyka, Józef (1981). "Two Polish Ascents of Everest". American Alpine Journal. #23 (55): 51–53. ISSN 0065-6925. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  5. ^ Michael Keller (23 August 2017). "Death Before Failure: Wanda Rutkiewicz & The Golden Age of Polish Mountaineering". Culture.pl. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  6. ^ Kukuczka, Jerzy (1992). My Vertical World: Climbing the 8000-Metre Peaks. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0340534850. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  7. ^ Zawada, Andrzej (1986). "Cho Oyu's Three-Kilometer-High Face. American Alpine Journal". American Alpine Journal. #28 (60): 6–13. ISBN 978-0930410278. ISSN 0065-6925. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  8. ^ Detienne, Herman (1989). "Asia, Nepal, Everest Attempt, Tragedy and Winter Ascent of Lhotse". American Alpine Journal. #31 (63): 203–204. ISBN 9780930410391. ISSN 0065-6925. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
edit